Coalition 10th September
Prior to embarking on a tour of America along with Black Kids, New York pop-funksters The Virgins have brought their mix of indie and soul to a few venues in Britain including Brighton Coalition as part of Club NME. Being a school night I wasn?t expecting a huge turnout but was pleasantly surprised as the venue was comfortably full – which could be partly attributed to the free entry and generous drinks promotions available on the night. Coalition has re-invented itself as a live music venue and although its d?cor still feels more befitting of a stylish nightclub with its minimalist feel and atmospheric lighting it is becoming a popular venue for Brighton?s gig-goers.
The Drookit Dogs, a homegrown Brighton band performed before the headline act, and it became quite clear that a lot of the crowd had turned up to see the local band rather than the one that had travelled across the Atlantic to be here. In fact, in terms of energy and charisma the Drookit Dogs clearly won through. Letting loose their mix of folk and punk, the crowd were at their most responsive during this part of the night with the dance floor infiltrated and a noticeable loss in the crowd after their performance.
In the universal uniform of the hip kids, the Virgins took to the stage in plain white tees and tight fitting jeans. Despite a strong funky bass line running through the performance, lead singer Donald Cumming?s voice was unfortunately drowned out making the chance of hearing any of the lyrics virtually impossible. He did show off an impressive Mick Jagger swagger throughout the set but this is my main memory of the act as I couldn?t hear his singing and although the band were proficient enough the songs just weren?t that memorable. The soulful twang I heard when listening to their recorded material just didn?t come through in their live act which was a real disappointment. Perhaps with better sound engineering the band would have made more of an impression but it was a sad case of the headlining act being outdone by their support tonight. This was a real shame for a band that seem to be making real waves over in America with their single ?Rich Girl? featuring on a major TV series, however there was only a slight ripple felt in tonight?s crowd.
Words by Jen Blakeley
Photographs by Rob Thomas
